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Saturday, October 25, 2014

NoQS Minion 6: THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST, YA Contemporary

Title: THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST

Genre: YA Contemporary

Word Count: 69,000

My Main Character's Most Fearsome Obstacle: Emma’s most fearsome obstacle is herself. Her fear of opening up causes her to weave a web of subterfuge and deceit that nearly costs her the very thing she values most—her best friend. And it doesn't help that it's totally embarrassing in the process. Being sixteen can sure be a nightmare sometimes, Freddy Krueger’s got nothing on high school.

Query:

Sixteen-year-old Emma has been best friends with Eli since she moved to their neighborhood ten years ago. But she’s tired of being cast in the role of the girl next door. Determined to push their relationship beyond the friend zone, Emma creates a fake online profile in the hope of luring Eli in and writing her own happily ever after. With one click, she takes destiny into her own hands.

When Eli takes the bait, Emma decides to reel him in by convincing super sweet college guy Jake to pretend to date her. After all, you always want what you can’t have. But when Emma’s cover is blown, she finds herself facing a decision she never thought possible. Eli’s actually got feelings for her – the real her – and so does Jake. All Emma wanted was her first kiss with the guy of her dreams, but now she's no longer sure who he is.

Emma must search her heart to find out if she trusts that Eli wasn't just swayed by the new, shiny girl she showed him through the fake profile, or decide if it’s time she wrote a different ending to her fairytale, one without the boy next door.

First 250:

He had 247 friends.

Now to add one more to the list.

“It’ll work. You can do this.” I chanted encouragement to myself while the mouse hovered over the photo of a smiling, perky-looking teenage girl. I ignored the small beads of sweat forming at my hairline as I stared at the photo taunting me from the screen of my Dell.

The girl’s shiny blonde hair flowed over sun-kissed shoulders peeking out of a cutesy white sundress. Who the hell had hair like that unless she’s in a hot pink package and distributed by Mattel?

Okay, fine. I might be the slightest bit jealous, considering I was about as un-Barbie as you could get. To make it worse, the girl looked like she’d been born to star in one of those Abercrombie ads where the models always wore perfectly coordinated outfits, and actually had the bod to fill in the cute little shirts instead of looking like a walking ironing board.

My gaze bounced over to the second profile I’d opened.Just looking at his face grinning back at me caused my pulse to speed up. Like usual.

A quick knock sounded on my bedroom door. Startled, I immediately hit the minimize button and turned the laptop screen just in time to see Dad poke his head in the room.

“Hey, Emma! How’s the project coming along?”

I swallowed. He wasn't supposed to be home so soon. “Ahhh...just finishing up.” I hid my guilty expression behind what probably came across as a pained,I have gas,smile.